I was told that if you borrow a car from a friend, it's courteous to return it washed, and with a full tank of gas (even if the car was dirty and had an empty tank when you borrowed it). Is there any problem here of ribis/usury/interest on a loan?

Is the prohibition on paying ribis, or on charging it? I thought the latter, meaning that if the owner of the car didn't stipulate and I filled the tank of my own free will, how could there be a problem?
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Monica Cellio♦Oct 7 '11 at 15:54

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Monica, IIRC from Sefer HaChinuch, Rambam and the like, it's prohibited to charge, pay, authorize -- even to witness a document that sets up a loan between two Jews with prohibited terms of interest.
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ShalomOct 7 '11 at 16:39

Hence even if the lender doesn't care, there could still be a violation taking place.
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ShalomOct 7 '11 at 16:40

On the contrary, it's hakarat haTov, and as such, is a good thing.
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ShmuelDec 13 '11 at 4:15

@ShmuelL, wonderful -- but first we have to establish that it's within the bounds of halachic permissibility! Once it's been done so (see below), then I certainly agree it's a good thing.
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ShalomDec 13 '11 at 7:55

1 Answer
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Ribis is not on an Item that you are going to to return the very same item itself, so essential Ribis is only on Loans of money or things of Monetary value, not of items where you return the actual item itself.

To illustrate for example borrowing eggs(this is Monetary Value) and returning more eggs since there you are lending the value of the item not the actual eggs it is not allowed again monetary value=Ribis. That is even if the price of sugar goes up from when you borrowed it the problem of Ribis applies. so you are allowed to borrow the car and fill the tank.

Thanks. So the prohibition is to borrow, consume, and return more of the same stuff (be it cash or eggs) as replacement. The Artscroll book linked (p. 195) cites YD176:1, I could even charge a rental fee for a wad of cash to be used as a prop in a play if the same wad is to be returned, not consumed and replaced. So here I'm borrowing and returning the same car, not consuming and replacing it. The car is the main thing, and the extra gas is the rental gratuity; this isn't intended as a gasoline-consumption-replacement agreement.) See also aishdas.org/avodah/vol10/v10n121.shtml
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ShalomJul 7 '10 at 14:43

YDK, see the links. The gas isn't the main thing. But some say you should specify "the extra gas is gratuity for lending me the car."
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ShalomJul 7 '10 at 14:44

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so you read the footnote in the book? so there he answers that it is clear it is done in gratitude for the car not the Gasoline so hence it is fine he does bring down the Chayeh Halevi who says you shold state it explicitly
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SimchasTorahJul 7 '10 at 14:45